Chapter 352: Park Slope City

After receiving the message from Gwen, Leon prepared to head to Park Slope. He didn’t bother bringing anyone with him. After all, he was the one being called.

It took him less than an hour to get there. When he did, the camp was strangely peaceful.

’Hmmm...’

Walking towards the gate, he was surprised when the guards standing there bowed to him.

"Welcome, City Lord!"

Leon blinked in surprise, then nodded toward them.

Without a word, he walked through the open gate and entered. The camp was still lively, but a little more reserved. When people saw him, they bowed politely until he walked away.

It made him feel weird and a little unnerved.

’What in heaven’s name did Gwen teach them to do?’

Regardless, he quickly reached the main villa at the center of the camp. It had been the former camp leader’s abode.

Now, it belonged to him.

He strode in, welcomed by the maids and butlers, and found Gwen, Reymond, and Selene in the living room.

Gwen smiled and stood up. "Leon? Why didn’t you tell me you arrived already? I would have met you at the gate."

He shook his head and took a seat opposite her. Gwen walked over to him and sat beside him.

He gave her a deep look, then asked, "How’s everything over here? Looks like it has been settled?"

She nodded. "Yup. They were pretty cooperative, so making them belong to us wasn’t hard. I already introduced our community system to them."

"Much appreciated." Leon smiled and raised a hand to pat her head.

He paused, realizing she might not like it.

"Go on." She smiled. "Pat me."

Leon sighed and obliged, giving her gentle pats on her head.

Meow!

Seemingly displeased that a human was receiving its birthright, Rune scowled and leaped from Selene’s lap to him.

Leon grabbed the cat and chuckled. "I missed you too, bud. Now, you’ll be staying with me and not that block of ice."

Selene’s eyes narrowed. "Are you talking about me? That’s rude."

Leon shrugged. "I didn’t say it was you, but now that you mention it, you seem like a block of ice."

She glared at him, then laughed faintly. "I’ll choose to be the elderly one and ignore your comments."

"Yes, yes. Senior Immortal Fairy Long Xi." Leon rolled his eyes.

Gwen and Reymond observed their interaction in surprise.

"Whatever." Selene snorted. "We’re having a council meeting today, and you should be present."

Leon nodded, gently stroking Rune’s fur. "I guessed so. We should get everything working already. How are we connecting it with Eternal Night City?"

Gwen smiled. "Oh, I already prepared a plan for that. In fact, I have a plan for the entirety of Brooklyn!"

Everyone turned to her, astonished.

"The whole of Brooklyn?" Reymond asked, unsure if he had heard right.

Gwen nodded. "Yes. Before Phase Two of the apocalypse starts, I want us to control the entirety of Brooklyn. It will be our first stronghold."

Selene seemed to understand why she was rushing. "I see...they’ve started noticing?"

Gwen nodded. "It was inevitable. We can only buy ourselves time."

"Who?" Leon tilted his head. "The government?"

She nodded.

Shaking his head, Leon spoke, his tone relaxed. "You don’t need to worry about them. As long as there are no missiles involved, we’ll be fine, alright?"

Selene’s eyes narrowed. "You’re ready to evolve?"

Leon turned to her and smiled. "Smart deduction. Do you want a pat too?"

She shot him a glare, making him retract his arm. "Marie is already evolving, and I’ll follow next. With that, we’ll have three people at Tier Two—possibly Level 100."

Reymond’s expression tightened, and he muttered. "Looks like I’ve been slacking off."

Leon glanced at him, then looked away. "I’ll be clearing the zombies in Williamsburg—if they’re still there—when I’m done evolving."

Gwen frowned. "The Zombie King might be Tier Three now."

Leon shrugged. "Tier Three or not, it’s dying this time. I still hold a grudge for the beating it gave me."

Selene laughed lightly, but immediately covered her lips.

Leon shot her an exasperated look, then turned away.

"Anyway, let’s solve things quickly with this meeting. When is it?"

Gwen checked the wall clock, then stood up. "Now."

They quickly moved to the designated hall for the meeting. The people holding important positions in the city have already gathered there and were simply waiting for the leaders to arrive.

When Leon walked in, all eyes turned to him.

They all recognized him, and he did remember them. There were a few faces he didn’t see, though.

He glanced at Gwen, and she simply smiled at him.

’Killed,’ He thought.

He didn’t mind, though. He trusted her enough to let her kill whoever she deemed worthy of death.

Soon, they all sat around the conference table, with Leon seated at the head of the table.

Gwen stood up and started the meeting.

"As I have briefed you earlier, the rankings remain the same. However, nobles of equal rank to you will have higher authority if they’re from the Eternal Night City. That place is the capital of our budding empire. Never forget that."

They all nodded, expressions tight.

She turned to Leon. "I already assigned them to their ranks, but here’s the list in case you want some changes made.

Leon accepted the list from her, then raised his head. "Jonathan Mauve?"

Someone stood up.

Leon evaluated him deeply, then nodded. "You can sit."

He started calling names and identifying them one after the other. After completing that, he handed the list back to Gwen.

"Your judgement and insight is superb as always."

She smiled. It was just as he expected of her—his beloved friend.

’Hey...!’

Regardless of his paranoia, Gwen continued the meeting. She spoke about several other things—goals to be reached and responsibilities each person had to take seriously.

Smiling, she prepared to end the meeting. "With that said, I’ll have the City Lord wrap it up."

Glancing at Leon, she took her seat.

He placed his elbows on the table, crossed his fingers, then said,

"I only have one piece of advice. Strive for the growth of Park Slope City. The world is ending, and I don’t tolerate slackers. If you do well, we all survive. If you don’t, I survive alone. Capiche?"